Hint: Print this list off and bring it into your child's bedroom.
I have learned something in my home. Whenever my children are starting to get grumpy, cranky, and bored, they have usually run out of floor space in their bedrooms. They have junked it up to the point where there is just a little path from the door to the bed. By keeping the floor space clear, your children will have room to build and create, to play board games, to pile a bunch of pillows, and to simply roll around and relax. The problems occur when they try to do all that at the same time LOL. There is only so much room on the floor.
Parents, you need to be creative here. Does every toy your child own need to be in their bedroom? We have never had many toys in the bedroom. They are kept in the basement. Does every book your child own need to be in their bedroom? Trust me on this one, a 13 year old is not reading "Cat in the Hat" anymore. It is time to get rid of some of these books. How much furniture is in your child's room? We got rid of two dressers and opted for using shelves in the closet so that there would be more floor space. Take a hard look at this. Talk it over with your child. I initially wasn't too pleased when my youngest child said that my old bookcase was taking up too much room in their bedroom and it had to go. Since I am trying to teach my kids how to control the clutter in their space, who was I to insist that the bookcase had to stay? I moved it down to the basement. You may be surprised by the suggestions your kids will have to create more space in their rooms.
Let's get started: The Checklist
- Quickly make up the bed or ask your child to do it. Check the space on the desk. Is it still clear? If not, is the project still cobweb free?
- When tackling the floor in a child's bedroom, start by picking up the dirty laundry. Add it to the laundry pile.
- Now pick up the clean clothes and stash them into the dresser or closet. Don't worry about making the dresser or closet neat yet. We are going to get to them later this week.
- Now, eyeball the dirty dishes and haul them down to the kitchen.
- Then, grab the recycle bag and pick up all the papers.
- Now with the trash bag, pick up the obvious trash.
- Whew! That was the easy part. Now you get to deal with the rest of the odds 'n ends that have escaped from their homes. Right now, don't obsess over this. Pick up the toys and put them away. Grab the books and put them where they belong. Call your child if you come across anything that you can't identify.
Talk to your kids. Ask them if there is anything left on the floor that they don't want anymore. Or that they would like moved out of their room.
- Sweep or vacuum the floor.
- If you have linoleum on the floor, go grab a mop and pail and quickly wash the floor. This is the best time to do it! We have carpets in our bedrooms. I take this opportunity to haul up the steam cleaner and quickly steam clean the carpets (I can do each room in 10 minutes).
- Take one last look around the floor in the bedroom. Have you created a space where your child can move
without tripping or stubbing their toe on a toy?
Voila! Most of the hard part is done. You and your kids are doing a great job! I think I need a bubble bath.
See you tomorrow - we are going into (drum roll please) THE CLOSET!
Take care of you,
Cindy
